Manufacture of nondetonating motor fuels



Patented Mar. 24, 1931 UNITED s'm'rrzs PATENT o ARTHUR B. BROWN AND FREDERIO K.W. SULLIVAN,

COMPAN Y, F WHITING, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF srenons T0 STANDARD 01:. INDIANA No Drawing. Application filed November The present invention relates to the improvements in the production of non-detoing the initial material to such conditions of pressure and temperature, distillation of ighter products of conversion in thegasoline range of boiling points maybe accomplished simultaneously by a distillation operation, orsuch products may be removed from the reaction chamb'erafter the desired reaction has been completed. The resulting product having the gasoline range of boiling points and containing the nitrogenous prod-' nets of reaction may be employed directly as a motor fuel, or may be admixed with ordinary gasolines as found on the market in suitable proportions to produce the desired degree of anti-knock action.

The proportion of the nitrogenous compounds employed may be varied within wide limits. In general, We find it advisable to use from 2 to 15% by weight of the nitrogenous compounds. As examples of nitrogenous compounds which we have employed,

.the following are enumerated: ammonia; urea; ammonium carbonate guanidine; and dicyandiamide. In operating in accordance with the present process, a suitable high boiling hydrocarbon oil,'for example, gas oil, may be heated under pressure to conversion temperatures of,

say 700 F. '-or higher, and preferably 750 to 850 F., suitably, in a vessel adapted to retain high pressure. Suificient pres sure is employed, say'4 to 5 atmospheres or, higher, to maintain the hydrocarbon oil stock treated substantially in liquid phase. -The FFICE JR., OF WRITING, INDIANA,AS-

MANUFACTURE OF NONDETONATING MOTOR FUELS 12, 1925. Serial No. 68,706.

conditions of pressure and temperature are ma ntained for a suitable period, say two hours or longer, to effect a substantial conver- S1011 of the oil treated into products of the gasoline range of boiling points,-there being a conversion into such products exceeding Preferably the processis carried to a much further degree, the length of the operation being continued until a conversion of at least 20 76 into products of the gasoline range of boiling ,points has been secured. When the digestion operation has been completed, the products aresubjected todistillation for the removal of those in the gasoline range of boiling points. With'substantially all of the substituted ammonia compounds employed, this gasoline cut of the product is found to contain an appreciable quantity of nltrogen, in excessof 0.1%. 'The resulting gasoline product may be employed as a nondetonating fuel or may be admixed 'with ordinary gasolines to improve their anti-knock qualities.

Thus, by operating in this manner, employing urea, a gasoline-like product was obtained which, when mixed with twice its volume of a typical mid-continent gasoline, re-

sulted in a fuel equivalent in its anti-knock qualitiestoa mixture of the same gasoline 'and benzol containing 23% of benzol. The organic nitrogenous product of reaction appears to be cyclic in character, of the nature of pyridine. Operating similarly, employing other compounds, such as ammonium carbonate, guanidine, dicyandiamide, etc., similar results are secured. Thus, with di'cyandiamide, the benzol equivalent of the resulting motor fuel, when mixed with twice its volume of a mid-continent gasoline,'is 1 6 to I I Q Although the invention haslbeen described in connectionwith a digestion operation, it

may be carried out also in connection with a pressure distillation operation or with a con 'tinuous'. type of digestion operation. For

example, the heavy hydrocarbon oil with -which the nitrogenous compound is admixed may be subjected to distillation under pressure of 4 to 5 atmospheres upwardly, and preferably of. 100 to 350pounds. In such an operation, vapors of products heavier than the desired product may be cooled and the resulting condensate reflux to the material undergoing distillation, as is customary in 5 pressure distillation of heavy oils for the production of gasoline. The mixture of heavy hydrocarbon oil and the nitrogenous compound may also'be passed in continuous flow through a heating zone to be brought to the desired conversion temperature and maintained at such temperature and under pressure while flowing at a slower rate through a chamber or receptacle in which further conversion and reaction may take place.

We claim:

1. The method of producing non-detonating fuel which comprises subjecting-a high boiling hydrocarbon -oil to converslon temperatures while under. pressure in "the presence of a nitrogenous organic compound of substituted ammonia type, thereby producing cyclic nitrogen compounds in the oil, and distilling from the reaction mass a'fu'el product in the gasoline range of boiling points.

2 The method of producing a non-detonat-' ing fuel which comprises heating a high boilinghydrocarbon oil to conversion tempera ture at which low boiling oils are produced therefrom while under pressure in the preso ence of an organicicompound' containing an amino group, thereby producing cyclic nitrogen compounds in the oil.

3. A method of producing a non-detonating fuel which comprises heating a high boil- 5 ing hydrocarbon oil to. temperatures at least 700 F. while under pressurein the presence of a urea.

4. A method of producing a non-detonating fuel which comprises heating a high boil- 40 ing hydrocarbon oil to temperatures at least 7 00 F. while under pressure in the presence of dicyandiamide.

5. A method of producing a non-detonating fuel which comprises heating a high boiling hydrocarbon oil to temperatures at least 700 F. while under pressure in the presence of guanidine. ARTHUR B. BROWN. FREDERICK W. SULLIVAN, J R. 

